• Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry cleared the path: The Baltimore Ravens‘ celebrity backfield duo rushed for 267 yards within the 28-14 win in opposition to the Steelers.
• Jayden Daniels was glorious in his first-ever playoff recreation: The Washington Commanders quarterback was instrumental within the 23-20 win in opposition to the Buccaneers.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is right here: Attempt PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and study 2025’s high prospects whereas buying and selling and drafting to your favourite NFL group.
Estimated studying time: 7 minutes
Houston Texans 32, Los Angeles Chargers 12
Why the Texans gained: The Texans lit Justin Herbert up for 4 quarters, utterly shutting down the Chargers quarterback and the passing recreation within the course of. Herbert was sacked 5 instances on 40 dropbacks, pressured on 51.4% of his dropbacks and accomplished simply 4 of 15 move makes an attempt on these dropbacks whereas additionally throwing two interceptions when pressured. In whole, the Texans pressured Herbert 25 instances, the place Will Anderson Jr. led the best way with six pressures and two sacks.
Successful up entrance in opposition to the Chargers two glorious tackles can be key for the Texans, as Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater each allowed 4 pressures every. Nevertheless, three of the 5 Texans’ sacks had been allowed by the weaker inside of the offensive line.
Why the Chargers misplaced: Justin Herbert threw simply three interceptions within the common season, nevertheless, the Chargers quarterback threw 4 in opposition to the Texans within the playoffs. These interceptions, nevertheless they happened, had been instrumental within the Chargers’ demise. One interception, an overthrow supposed for Ladd McConkey, was returned by Texans’ defensive again, Eric Murray, for a landing whereas one other was a heave late within the fourth quarter, picked off by Derek Stingley.
Nevertheless, two of Herbert’s interceptions had been right down to poor execution by the Chargers’ receivers. Quentin Johnston was boxed out by a cornerback significantly smaller than him on the primary interception, whereas Will Dissly didn’t safe the ball and tipped it to a Texans defender on Herbert’s third. Poor execution throughout, and turnovers proved to be greater than expensive for the Chargers.
Baltimore Ravens 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
Why the Ravens gained: The Ravens, as they should nice impact all season, relied on the speeding duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry to guide the group to victory. Henry and Jackson mixed for 267 yards on the bottom, whereas Henry added two speeding touchdowns. The Ravens averaged 6.0 yards per carry as a group, beating up on the Steelers and opening up a 21-0 lead by halftime.
Henry led the best way with 186 yards on 26 carries, and he added 4 rushes of over 10 yards, together with a 44-yard landing run within the third quarter, in addition to forcing seven missed tackles. He earned an 80.9 speeding grade. Jackson added 15 carries for 81 yards and took benefit of the Steelers protection promoting out to cease Henry early within the recreation, establishing an early landing drive.
Why the Steelers misplaced: This wasn’t a efficiency synonymous with the best way the Steelers play soccer. There was a definite lack of coronary heart and drive at instances, particularly within the first half because the Ravens opened up that 21-0 lead. However what caught out was the quantity of missed tackles for the Steelers on protection. The protection had 14 missed tackles within the recreation, their third-most in a recreation this season, and although half of these missed tackles had been compelled by Derrick Henry, it was an uncharacteristically sloppy tackling efficiency from a protection that all the time performs onerous. 5 Steelers’ defenders completed with tackling grades beneath 30.0, together with T.J. Watt.
Buffalo Payments 31, Denver Broncos 7
Why the Payments gained: The Payments offense has been a lot better at operating the ball in 2024. The offensive line is enjoying meaner, James Cook dinner has improved, and Josh Allen continues to be top-of-the-line dual-threat quarterbacks within the NFL. They put all of it collectively for a wonderful speeding recreation in opposition to the Broncos on Wild-Card Weekend. Collectively, the Payments carried the ball 44 instances for 210 yards and a landing, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Cook dinner led the best way because the group’s bellcow, carrying the ball 23 instances for 120 yards and a landing, incomes a 69.9 grade, and forcing 4 missed tackles, whereas the offense as a complete compelled 9 missed tackles and had 4 runs of over 10 yards, with Cook dinner breaking off three of these runs.
Why the Broncos misplaced: The Broncos offense began sizzling, with Bo Nix throwing a 43-yard landing on the primary drive of the sport. After that, the offense didn’t rating one other level and the Payments ran away with the sport. The passing recreation struggled, as Nix accomplished simply 13 of twenty-two move makes an attempt for 144 yards. The place the Broncos’ passing recreation struggled was with drops, struggling 4 drops within the loss. Devaughn Vele had two drops, whereas Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin suffered one every—a troublesome 23.5% drop fee to finish the season.
Philadelphia Eagles 22, Inexperienced Bay Packers 10
Why the Eagles gained: The Eagles continued the development of groups profitable on Wild-Card Weekend by letting their speeding recreation care for enterprise. It wasn’t Saquon Barkley’s most devastating efficiency, however the Eagles operating again carried the ball 25 instances for 119 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The truth that these numbers appear frankly modest within the catalog of Barkley’s season is a testomony to how good he’s been.
However as a group, the Eagles ran over the Broncos, speeding for 169 yards and averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Additionally they compelled eight missed tackles and broke off 4 rushes of over 10 yards, with Barkley sealing the win with a 17-yard acquire.
Why the Packers misplaced: The Packers suffered a string of accidents to some essential pass-catchers, however Jordan Love was flustered by the Eagles’ protection all day, notably when he needed to push the ball down the sector. Love completed 17 of 21 on throws between 0-9 yards, however on throws of 10 yards or extra, he struggled, finishing simply three of 10 passes whereas throwing three interceptions.
Love had 4 throws graded as turnover-worthy performs in whole, and earned a 28.7 grade on intermediate throws between 10-19 yards, whereas he earned a 54.9 grade on deep throws. A nasty day passing for the Packers quarterback.
Washington Commanders 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20
Why the Commanders gained: Jayden Daniels’ rookie fairy story continued with a wonderful efficiency in opposition to the Buccaneers. Daniels accomplished 24 of 35 move makes an attempt for 268 yards and two touchdowns, incomes a 76.7 grade. Nevertheless, Daniels actually stepped up when pressured by the Buccaneers protection. He was pressured on 37.5% of his dropbacks and accomplished 58.3% of his move makes an attempt for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
The stage wasn’t an excessive amount of for Daniels in these moments, and he had a 8.3% big-time throw fee on pressured throws and earned a 90.8 grade for his efforts. The Buccaneers had been solely in a position to sack Daniels as soon as on 15 pressured dropbacks too, because the rookie quarterback showcased his means to keep away from sacks.
Why the Buccaneers misplaced: The Buccaneers’ protection struggled to get its fingers on Daniels, but it surely additionally struggled to get their fingers on the Commanders receivers, primarily Terry McLaurin and Dyami Brown. McLaurin and Brown mixed for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 12 catches, inflicting the Buccaneers secondary points all evening. Brown was in a position to flash his means to create after the catch, averaging 9.0 yards after the catch per reception, whereas McLaurin caught a wonderful contested catch downfield, and has extra contested catches than some other receiver within the NFL in 2024.
Each gamers earned glorious grades too. McLaurin earned a team-high 88.1 grade, whereas Brown earned a 79.1 grade for his efforts. Their efforts had been simply an excessive amount of for the Buccaneers secondary.
Los Angeles Rams 27, Minnesota Vikings 9
Why the Rams gained: The Vikings blitzed Matthew Stafford aggressively all evening, sending 5 or extra rushers on 69% of his dropbacks to fluster the Rams quarterback and put him underneath strain. Nevertheless, Stafford responded emphatically, finishing 13 of 19 move makes an attempt for 179 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 9.4 yards per try and incomes an 86.0 grade.
Sending blitzes is the Vikings’ bread and butter on protection, they usually’ve been top-of-the-line groups within the NFL at creating disruption from these blitzes, however Stafford dealt with all the things the Vikings threw at him, simply as he did in Week 7.
Why the Vikings misplaced: Whereas Stafford dealt with all the things the Vikings threw at him, Sam Darnold went utterly the alternative method. The Rams pressured Darnold on 48.0% of his dropbacks, and the Vikings quarterback combusted in these moments. Darnold accomplished seven of 14 move makes an attempt for 85 yards and an interception on 24 dropbacks, and he was sacked 9 instances by the Rams protection. Darnold was shellshocked by the Rams’ protection and earned a 39.1 grade when pressured.
